Author news, author interviews, and book reviews

Good afternoon everyone and welcome. This week author Chris Paynter is here to speak with you about her work and other things about herself. Let’s give her a warm welcome.

When Lynn Lawler asked me if I would be interested in writing a blog for her, I thought, “Sure! It will be fun!” She told me I could write about anything and everything. I thought, “Great!” Then I thought, “Well… what the heck do I write about?” So, what follows may seem kind of rambling. That’s probably because it is rambling. Kind of a “stream of consciousness” blog…

Since she invited me to write a blog, a lot has happened in U.S. news. In the past few weeks, Congress has started an impeachment inquiry against He Who Shall Not Be Named. The present news reminds me of Watergate and the charges against then-President Richard Nixon. My dad told me at the time that I needed to watch the hearings because “this is history.” Although I was only eleven and didn’t quite understand everything, I still sat with him while we watched the hearings unfold on a small black and white TV.

Remembering that time in history made me think about my sixth-grade year. We were living in New Carlisle, Ohio, while my dad was in the Air Force. In sixth grade, I was blessed with my all-time favorite teacher, Mrs. Cimilucca, who taught English. I was already interested in writing, but with her teaching, I learned about structuring sentences and grammar. I had written my first story in third grade entitled, The Left-Out School Girl. (It sounds tragic, right? Hey, what can I say? I was eight years old.) I also remember Mrs. Cimilucca reading The Hobbit to us. I think that sparked my imagination, because sitting at my desk, peering out the window while she read, I became lost in the world of hobbits, elves, trolls, and wizards.

Over the years, some of my favorite teachers were English or journalism instructors and later in college, a journalism professor. After graduating from Indiana University, I worked as a reporter. This ties back into why the present news fascinates me. I have devoured articles in the Washington Post, New York Times, etc. And I really enjoy watching interviews of the journalists covering these stories. Again, it’s fascinating.

But it can also be stressful, especially when news is breaking almost hourly, if not every thirty minutes. Since He Who Shall Not Be Named took office, it’s been hard for me to concentrate. On what? Writing. I don’t know if other authors have this trouble. There are times I need to decompress and stay away from the news. It’s easier said than done, though.

One of the ways I decompress is to read. The other ways are to watch sports and immerse myself in fantasy sports—fantasy baseball and fantasy football. With both fantasy games, the most important thing is the draft and knowing which players will help you throughout the baseball or football season. Between the two fantasy games, I enjoy fantasy baseball the most. You need to be diligent with fantasy baseball, scouring the waiver wire for any player (that another league manager drops) or for a “hot” player who may help you for the rest of the season. For example, a manager in one of my five leagues (yup—I was in five leagues and won… eh em… four of them!) dropped Pete Alonso, the rookie first baseman for the New York Mets. It could be the manager was fed up with his low batting average at the beginning of the season. I picked him up and happily watched him hit 53 home runs for the year. 😊

Reading, sports, and fantasy games have helped keep me sane in the chaos that He Who Shall Not Be Named has wrought in our country. I do try to balance the news watching with the sports, but like I said, it can be difficult when breaking news is happening hourly. Heck, you could even say it’s not “breaking” anymore. It’s simply news.

I’m sure you might have ways to decompress in these stressful times. My wife, Phyllis, focuses on being a force of change with her volunteer work, which includes helping the homeless obtain jobs, aiding the Hispanic community in filling out DACA paperwork, along with her other multitude of good deeds. She decompresses by watching the Hallmark Channel and shows about Alaska.

Despite all the crap going on around us, my goal is to learn how to buckle down and WRITE. It’s been easier for me to focus on sports and fantasy baseball and football because in a way, it’s mindless. Writing requires focus. I’ve written the first chapters of Daphne, a kind of prequel to Survived by Her Longtime Companion. It tells part of movie star Daphne DeMonet’s life before she met and fell in love with Eleanor Burnett. It also delves into their love story, but I will tell it from Daphne’s POV. Wish me luck as I attempt to focus in the coming weeks!

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Published by Lynn Lawler

Lynn Lawler‘s stories are greatly inspired by LGBTQ themes with deep felt emotion and rich characters. Each lives out their dynamic lives and find themselves in the rich imaginations of those who love to read and receive fulfillment within their own creative desires.
While in college, she wrote an editorial that was published in The Detroit Free Press. It focused on the positives of children’s education in the sciences. This she found to be very inspiring and felt that people needed awareness to encourage young people to study these subjects.
Lynn went on a journey to Arizona seeking a refreshed higher purpose. While there, she experienced things that were life-changing. By sharing nutritional information and benefits of going vegetarian, Lynn walked right into an opportunity where she created a new profit center for a co-op market by introducing a juice bar. In another venture, she applied her expertise in developing a marketing strategy for a professional outdoor sales - small business.
In addition to marketing, Lynn also was an architectural designer, consulting and contracting for many Los Angeles, CA-based architectural firms.
Her creative awakening began after low spot emotionally. She finally realized that her true, lifelong dream of being a writer could and would become her reality. Lynn watched a documentary on the life of the 20th century, writer Willa Cather. Willa Cather became her encouragement to move forward with her own aspirations.
The trials of Lynn’s life have only served as stepping stones to a brighter outlook and a stronger spirit.
Lynn has always been a fan of books. Her favorite authors are; Mary Higgins Clark, and J.K. Rowling and Judy Blume. In addition, she loves reading the works of other LGBTQ authors.
You can find Lynn Lawler’s blog at www.lynnlawler.blog. Here you will read interviews of artists, authors, and others. In addition, you can read all of Lynn Lawler’s book reviews for a relevant, insightful, point of view.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, meditation, playing chess and Tomb Raider, and watching baseball.
Lynn lives in SoCal with her wife and cats. She is currently at work on her next two novels.
Feel free to follow her on FB and Twitter (@lynnlawler1).
View all posts by Lynn Lawler

One thought on “Meet author Chris Paynter”

> lynnlawler posted: “Good afternoon everyone and welcome. This week author > Chris Paynter is here to speak with you about her work and other things > about herself. Let’s give her a warm welcome. When Lynn Lawler asked me if > I would be interested in writing a blog for her, I tho” >

Lynn Lawler

Lynn Lawler‘s stories are greatly inspired by LGBTQ themes with deep felt emotion and rich characters. Each lives out their dynamic lives and find themselves in the rich imaginations of those who love to read and receive fulfillment within their own creative desires.
While in college, she wrote an editorial that was published in The Detroit Free Press. It focused on the positives of children’s education in the sciences. This she found to be very inspiring and felt that people needed awareness to encourage young people to study these subjects.
Lynn went on a journey to Arizona seeking a refreshed higher purpose. While there, she experienced things that were life-changing. By sharing nutritional information and benefits of going vegetarian, Lynn walked right into an opportunity where she created a new profit center for a co-op market by introducing a juice bar. In another venture, she applied her expertise in developing a marketing strategy for a professional outdoor sales - small business.
In addition to marketing, Lynn also was an architectural designer, consulting and contracting for many Los Angeles, CA-based architectural firms.
Her creative awakening began after low spot emotionally. She finally realized that her true, lifelong dream of being a writer could and would become her reality. Lynn watched a documentary on the life of the 20th century, writer Willa Cather. Willa Cather became her encouragement to move forward with her own aspirations.
The trials of Lynn’s life have only served as stepping stones to a brighter outlook and a stronger spirit.
Lynn has always been a fan of books. Her favorite authors are; Mary Higgins Clark, and J.K. Rowling and Judy Blume. In addition, she loves reading the works of other LGBTQ authors.
You can find Lynn Lawler’s blog at www.lynnlawler.blog. Here you will read interviews of artists, authors, and others. In addition, you can read all of Lynn Lawler’s book reviews for a relevant, insightful, point of view.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, meditation, playing chess and Tomb Raider, and watching baseball.
Lynn lives in SoCal with her wife and cats. She is currently at work on her next two novels.
Feel free to follow her on FB and Twitter (@lynnlawler1).